salmo- i respect your wealth of scientific knowledge and have learned alot from the info you have brought to the board , however; i must ask---why do you keep saying that we need to have below average years to have above average years? its a statement that is so true that it is absolutely useless! thats just the definition of an average isnt it?

isnt that analagouse to a politician saying "im tired of half the population living under the median income" thats what a median is the halfway point

we have averages that are moving towards ZERO!!!!! who cares if you have above average years and below average years- you will have that with any arithmetic mean with any polulation of anything!!!! your only repeating the definition of an average.

when the average is two fish per year returning and an above average year is three fish and below average year is one fish will you guys still be saying the same thing? the statement will be no less true than it is today.

a cantinued reliance on hatcheries with no attempt at controlling the commercials and environment is like picking cocaine out of the carpet......it may make you feel better for the next ten minutes but it does nothing to solve the real issue which is overdependance and dwindling supply